Chapter 6 Human Memory

Sensory Memory

Preserves information in its original sensory form for a brief time (1/4 of a second)

Hippocampus

Essential for creating new explicit but not implicit memories; plays central role in laying down new memories.

Encoding

First stage of the memory process; information is transformed or coded (a transduction process) into a form that can be processed further and stored

Prospective Memory

Form of memory that involves remembering to perform a planned action or intention at the appropriate time

Ebbinghaus

Gentleman to first demonstrate how rapidly memories vanish; invented the ______________ Curve of Forgetting

Semantic Memory

Memory information theoretically available to anyone; pertains to general facts about the world.

Implicit Memory

Memory of something one knows or knows how to do.

Method of Ioci

Mneumonic device in which a person visualizes items to be learned with landmarks in some familiar place.

Retroactive Information

New information interferes with old.

Proactive Interference

Old information interferes with new.

Eidetic Imagery

Synonymous with photographic memory

Visual Imagery

The ability to create an eidetic image of past visual experiences; the ability to recall visual images in the form of objects, events, or words

Chunking

The grouping of numbers, letters, or other items into meaningful subsets.

Encoding Specificity Principle

The idea that human memories are more easily retrieved if external conditions (emotional cues) at the time of retrieval are similar to those in existence at the time the memory was stored.

Infantile Amnesia

The inability to remember events from early childhood.

Retrograde Amnesia

The loss of memory surrounding a physically or emotionally traumatic event and can be global (all memories) or limited to memories specific to events that the victim might psychologically want to avoid remembering.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

The place where visual and spatial data are briefly stored and manipulated.

Retrieval

The process of accessing information encoded and stored in memory

Storage

The process of preserving information for possible recollecting in the future.

Central Executive

This directs attention, makes plans, and coordinate activities; determines what information is used and what is ignored.

Episodic Buffer

This forms the bridge between memory and conscious awareness.

Amygdala

This part of the brain is responsible for the formation of implicit and emotional memories.

Memory

This term refers to information the brain receives, stores, and may retrieve for later use.

True or False? Memories are not reliable records of reality

True

Name at three reasons we forget.

• Encoding failure • Misinformation Effect • Proactive/Retroactive Interference • Amnesia

Retrospective Memory

refers to memory of people, words, and events encountered or experienced in the past

Retrieval Cues

A prompt that helps us remember something.

Mneumonics

A way to help translate information so that its easier to remember.

Working Memory

Active processing of memory in short-term memory

Long-Term Memory

An unlimited capacity store that can hold information over lengthy periods of time

Flashbulb Memory

Detailed account of circumstances surrounding emotionally important or shocking event.

Serial Position Effect

Items at the beginning and end of a list are more likely to be remembered.

Short-term Memory

Limited-capacity store that can maintain unrehearsed information for 10-20 seconds.

Alzheimer's Disease

Progressive devastating brain illness that causes cognitive decline, including memory, language, and thinking problems.

Episodic Memory

Record of memorable experiences or 'episodes' including when and where an experience occurred.

Anterograde Amnesia

Refers to an individuals inability to form new memories following a traumatic event.

Echoic Imagery

Sensory memory that is specific to retaining auditory information; lasts about 1-10 seconds.

List the stages, in order, of the Information Processing Model of Memory.

Sensory, short-term, long-term.

List there three levels of memory processing, in order.

Shallow, intermediate, deep.

Priming

Stimulation of memories as a result of retrieval cues in environment

Explicit Memory

Type of memory you're aware of and can express into words, including memories of facts and experiences.

Procedural Memory

Unconscious memory of how to carry out variety of skills and activities.